Dell serves up new tablets, high-PPI laptops

Fresh from its successful privatization deal, Dell has announced a whole boatload of new mobile gear. Today's arrivals include laptops with high-PPI displays, a couple of Windows tablets, and two Intel-powered Android slates. These will all become available on October 18, the day after Microsoft releases Windows 8.1 to the public.

Let's start with the XPS 11, which Dell calls the "thinnest, most compact 2-in-1 in the world." This puppy has an 11.6", 2560x1440 display mounted on a "360-degree rotating hinge." It weighs 2.5 lbs and measures 0.59" thick, which is pretty thin, even by ultrabook standards. Dell's press release doesn't go into much detail about the internals, but the $999.99 price tag hints at the presence of Intel Core processors, likely of the Haswell variety.

Also in the high-PPI department, Dell's XPS 15 crams a 3200x1800 resolution into a 15.6" panel. The machine weighs in at 4.44 lbs, features a Haswell processor under the hood, and has room for up to 512GB of solid-state storage and up to 1TB of mechanical storage. (The solid-state drive has an mSATA form factor, which leaves room for a conventional hard drive without requiring two bays.) The XPS 15 isn't cheap, though. Prices start at $1,499.99.

Oh, and Dell says it's refreshed the XPS 13 with Haswell silicon, a 1080p touch screen, and "improved battery life." This $999.99 ultrabook features an "edge-to-edge display that innovatively fits into a footprint similar to an 11-inch laptop," too, and it weighs only 3 lbs.

Now, what about those tablets?

There are four of them. On the Windows 8 front, Dell has announced the Venue 8 Pro and the Venue 11 Pro, which are priced at $299.99 and $499.99, respectively. Both slates are powered by Intel's Bay Trail Atom processors, although Dell says you'll be able to order the Venue 11 Pro with an optional Haswell CPU.

On the Android front, Dell has rolled out the $149.99 Venue 7 and the $179.99 Venue 8. Interestingly, both of those offerings appear to have Clover Trail Atom processors. The press release reveals little else, but you can find more photos and specs over at Engadget. It looks like both devices have 1280x800 IPS screens, 16GB of default storage, and microSD slots. Engadget says Dell will offer a 32GB version of the Venue 8, as well.